Tag: renault

How popular is the baby name Renault in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, see baby names similar to Renault and check out all the blog posts that mention the name Renault.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Renault

Number of Babies Named Renault

Posts that Mention the Name Renault

Renault DauphineWe all know that Renault is a French automaker. But did you know that it’s also an American baby name?

In 1959, the name Renault (ruh-noh) appeared for the first time in the U.S. baby name data:

1963: unlisted

1962: unlisted

1961: 6 baby boys named Renault

1960: unlisted

1959: 8 baby boys named Renault [debut]

1958: unlisted

The name Dauphine (doh-feen), which was last on the charts since the 1920s, also saw a boost in usage around this time:

1963: unlisted

1962: 6 baby girls named Dauphine

1961: unlisted

1960: 8 baby girls named Dauphine

1959: 10 baby girls named Dauphine

1958: unlisted

The cause? The Renault Dauphine, a “frisky, thrifty family car” introduced to U.S. consumers in 1957.

The car was widely praised (at first) and sales rose impressively during the late ’50s, peaking in 1959.

I even found a baby girl born in Texas in 1959 with the name Renault Dauphine Sanders. None of her four sisters — Netha, Andra, Elizabeth, and Tina — were named for cars.

Here’s a TV commercial for the Renault Dauphine. Notice how the American voice-over actor pronounces company name ruh-nawlt.

But the rise of the Renault Dauphine was cut short when problems began to emerge. The Dauphine was quick to rust, for instance, and it took more than 30 seconds to reach 60 mph. Sales started falling in 1960 and never recovered. Renault stopped producing new Dauphines altogether in the late ’60s.

The Renault Ondine was a variant of the Renault Dauphine produced from 1960 to 1962. It came to America in 1961, and while it was typically called the “Deluxe” here, the name “Ondine” was mentioned here and there (like in Car Life).

So what do all these names mean? Ondine is the French form of Undine, Dauphine refers to the wife of the Dauphin (the heir apparent to the French throne), and Renault is a variant of the French surname Renaud, which has the same Germanic root as the English name Reynold.

(Ironically, a name very similar to Dauphine, Delphine, saw peak usage in 1958 thanks to a TV character. It’s possible that the character name helped the car name seem even trendier right around that time.)